WIFI IN SCHOOLS

Wifi in schools is one of the most harmful aspects of the usage of EMR today. Placing young children whose bodies are still developing in a continual non stop EMR environment, not only compromises their immune systems, causes ADD and ADHD and makes them more susceptible to any of the other illnesses and serious diseases associated with EMR, but we are also damaging the delicate balance of life within our own species. EMR changes hormonal balance by raising estrogen levels in human beings and other species. This could lead to all kinds of problems such as new born males with female characteristics, hermaphrodite qualities and possibly tilting the balance of male/female births toward female by virtue of females or the estrogen based sex being able to adapt better in the womb to EMR than male or the androgen based sex. Read more about this particular aspect of harmful effects of EMR in The Bioinitiative Report link on the Home Page.Click here for details on PORTLAND OREGON WIFI SCHOOL LAWSUIT!!!

JUST A HEADS UP…

There is a PLETHORA of INDUSTRY FUNDED, thus INDUSTRY BIASED studies and articles all over the internet about this stuff. You could be reading an article for instance about a study done by a reputable college or institution. What you don’t know however is who funded that study. Studies show that industry funded studies favor industry 70% of the time. This is a bias which cannot be ignored and therefore, I suggest you ignore the industry funded studies, which if you can’t figure out which ones they are, a good clue is when they say “no health effects were found”, or “we need more studies”, or “inconclusive evidence”. These are all industry ways of literally buying time. We pay for this time with our health and our lives. They gain unjust enrichment from this bought time…until they lose just one class action lawsuit…then the flood gates will have been opened.

The following is a 3 part series from Panorama a BBC TV news show. It is on WIFI in the classroom and is really excellent. It is in 3 parts per UTUBE standards…

The following article is good, but also a good example of who you get your information from. Michael Repacholi, of WHO mentioned at the bottom of the article for example, it was found was accepting money from the telecom industry and ultimately replaced at WHO. There are other industry individuals mentioned at the bottom fo the article. Notice their take as opposed to everyone else’s (this is an overview of the BBC news report above in case you didn’t watch it)…

Brain tumors are the leading cause of childhood cancer deaths in Britain, with half as many more children dying from the illness as from leukaemia. Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that in 2007 there were 47% more deaths from brain tumors among under-15s than from leukemia. Yet that is not reflected in the money spent on research, say campaigners. This week sees the launch of Brain Tumor Research, a national coalition of 14 charities, which believe that research is “woefully underfunded”. It is backed by celebrities including the actress Sheila Hancock, whose grandson survived a tumor, and actor Martin Kemp and opera singer Russell Watson, who were both treated successfully.

Hancock, 76, the widow of actor John Thaw, saw her grandson Jack diagnosed with a rare tumour aged four. “It is terrible to watch a grandchild go through the diagnosis and treatment of a brain tumour. You feel so helpless.” Jack was successfully operated on. Kevin O’Neill, a consultant neurosurgeon at Imperial College London, said: “Brain tumors are on the increase, reportedly in the region of 2% per year. But in my unit we have seen the number of cases nearly double in the last year.”

The following professionals, scientists, organizations and countries have issued warnings regarding wifi in schools and was taken from a truly excellent website… http://www.wifiinschools.org.uk/4.html This is an incomplete list…

Teachers’ Unions

Voice

Philip Parkin, the General Secretary of the Education Professionals Union, Voice, formerly the Professional Association of Teachers, has called for a full investigation into the networks. ‘We continue to be concerned about the possible effects of WiFi. Particularly on children whose brains and bodies are still developing’ he said ( HYPERLINK “http://www.voicetheunion.org.uk//index.cfm/page/siteerror.cfm?CFID=1767706&;CFTOKEN=78e48e6548e8aaae-B8053A17-3048-2C8C-52E19AED4F73F7E6″ 2007). Voice is calling for a moratorium on new Wi-Fi networks in schools and the suspension of existing Wi-Fi if possible.

‘The proliferation of wireless networks could be having serious implications for the health of some staff and pupils without the cause being recognised’. ‘There are huge commercial pressures which may be why there has not yet been any significant action’.Speaking about the announcement of an investigation into WiFi by the Health Protection Agency (measuring emissions from computers in schools to check whether they are within ICNIRP guidelines), Mr Parkin states, ‘Whilst we welcome this investigation I do not feel that it goes far enough. It seems to be concentrating on what should be known already rather than on what is not known. It seems to me that the HPA:

– has pre-judged outcomes before they have done the work;

– seems to only be considering the thermal effect of EMR (electromagnetic radiation) and not the potential long-term health risks associated with the non-thermal effects;

– is assessing against the totally inadequate ICNIRPS guidelines which only relate to the thermal effects of EMR;

– does not appear to be doing any health-related investigations amongst children; and

– appears to be concentrating on measuring radiation levels which are already known, or should have been before the technology was allowed to be used in schools.’

GEW

The German teachers’ Union for Education and Knowledge (GEW, Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft) has told its members to resist the rollout of WiFi into schools in Germany on safety grounds. The GEW Union in Hesse has proposed ‘Due to possible effects on school performance, a healthy school should not only be smoke free, but also allow teachers and students to teach and study in a radiation free environment’ ( HYPERLINK “http://omega.twoday.net/20070625/” 2007).

Austrian Medical Association and Public Health Department of Salzburg

The Public Health Department of Salzburg ( HYPERLINK “http://www.mastsanity.org/index.php?option=com_docman&;task=doc_download&gid=2&Itemid=64″ 2005) has warned that WiFi should not be put in schools or nurseries. The Austrian Medical Association is lobbying against the deployment of WiFi in schools.

Schools in Germany

The Bavarian Parliament has recommended that no schools in the province use wireless LAN networks. The Frankfurt City Government said that it would not install WiFi in its schools until its had been shown to be harmless.

Lakehead University in Ontario, Canada has limited its use of WiFi based on the precautionary principle, due to health concerns. It has comprehensive fibre-optic computer network throughout the campus. Its statement on the use of WiFi includes: ‘There will be no use of WiFi in those areas of the University already served by hard wire connectivity until such time as the potential health effects have been scientifically rebutted or there are adequate protective measures that can be taken’ ( HYPERLINK “http://policies.lakeheadu.ca/policy.php?pid=178.%20…” 2004).

The Progressive Librarian’s Guild in America ( HYPERLINK “http://libr.org/plg/wifiresolution.php” 2008) recommend ‘that via their professional organizations, information workers address the risks of wireless technology in public spaces, take steps in learning about the risks of wireless in terms of exposure and impact on library services, monitor wireless technology in their facilities, critically evaluate and adopt alternatives to wireless technology especially in children’s sections of libraries, create warning signage on risks of wifi throughout their libraries,and act as a community resource in the public education on wireless technologies.’

Ian Gibson, MP, a former chairman of the Commons Science and Technology Committee and honorary Professor and former Dean of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of East Anglia, said ‘We need a departmental enquiry into this situation. The Department of Health should be looking into it seriously’ ( HYPERLINK “http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article649578.ece” The TimesOnline, Nov 25th, 2006).

The Stewart Report

The Stewart Report ( HYPERLINK “http://www.iegmp.org.uk/report/index.htm” 2000, see also HYPERLINK “http://wifiinschools.org.uk/2.html” Precautionary Approach) commissioned by the UK Government stated that a precautionary approach should be taken to the use of mobile phone technologies until more detailed information on any health effects becomes available. It recommended that the beam of greatest intensity from mobile phone masts should not fall on any part of a school’s grounds or buildings without the agreement of the school and parents. The Stewart Report also advises that children should not use mobile phones for non-essential calls.

In a bold and groundbreaking move, the French government are now the first European government to publicly announce an outright ban on some aspect of mobile phone usage based exclusively on potential risks to health.

15/01/2009 – French government consider mobile phone legislation

In a bold and groundbreaking move, the French government are now the first European government to publicly announce a proposal for an outright ban on some aspect of mobile phone usage based exclusively on potential risks to health.

Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo has proposed new legislation that will lead to ban on the advertising of mobile phones to children under the age of 12. It will also be illegal for sales of phones that are intended for use by children under the age of 6, and it will be compulsory for all handsets to be sold with accompanying earphones.

In September, the European Parliament voted 522 to 16 to urge ministers across Europe to bring in stricter radiation limits for phones, and the European Environment Agency has also issued a warning.

Whilst similar to the recommendations of other countries (Toronto’s Department of Public Health has advised that children under eight should only use mobiles in emergencies and teenagers should limit calls to less than 10 minutes. The Russian Ministry of Health says that young people under 18 should not use the devices, and Israel’s Health Ministry has also advised caution), this is the first recommendation to have made its way into proposed national legislation. It is a much needed first step on the road to governmentally introduced precaution on behalf of the public that it represents.

The Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority have also recommended that children should favor texting over calls, use hands-free where possible, not use their phone in cars and trains, limited both number of calls and call duration. They feel that an outright ban is inappropriate due to the benefits that they provide, but believe that precaution is appropriate.

Sadly, the United Kingdom appears to be falling behind in their acknowledgement of the steadily increasing evidence that mobile phones may present a serious threat to health. Despite the UK Government Department of Health advice that children and young people under 16 should only use mobile phones for “essential purposes” and even then not for prolonged periods, public awareness of this advice is minimal.